


strangers

by thehumancondition



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Alcohol, M/M, Weed, drunk mac and charlie confess their feelings to each other, fluff ?? at the end, slight mac/dennis, very small blood warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 21:57:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11389218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehumancondition/pseuds/thehumancondition
Summary: Mac and Charlie have always been inseparable. After a drunken mistake, Charlie feels like Mac is a stranger to him, something he hasn’t felt since they met.





	strangers

It’s a typical Friday afternoon. Charlie and Mac are sitting underneath the bleachers in their usual spot sharing a joint. They watch everyone walk out of school to meet up with their friends and head off get ready for whatever party there was tonight. Charlie audibly groans when he saw Dennis Reynolds walk out of the school doors.

Ever since Dennis moved, he’s made it his goal to make Charlie’s life a living hell. Charlie had managed to fly under the radar and go unnoticed. When Dennis saw Charlie walking down the hall in his dirt covered jeans, worn out tennis shoes and paint splattered shirt, he gave him the nickname “dirt grub”.

The nickname quickly caught on seeing as Dennis became popular in no time. He left Mac alone because he sometimes bought weed from him. Charlie was a little hurt that Mac made no effort to stand up for his best (and only) friend, but no one messed with Dennis Reynolds. 

His sister, Dee, is also the laughing stock of the school. She has a horrible back brace and Dennis gave her a nickname as well, “the aluminum monster”. Charlie sometimes wonders if he should become friends with Dee, seeing as she has no friends, but Dennis would have a trip with that.

Charlie was content with spending 85% of his time with Mac. They knew everything about each other and they were so comfortable with each other. Charlie knew he could come to Mac about anything and Mac knew he could do the same with Charlie. They had a deep connection and they were so grateful to have each other.

“Fuck, he’s coming over here,” Mac warns as he watches Dennis approach them. Charlie wants to run and hide, but it was too late. “Hey dirt grub. Were you just about to ask Mac here if you could suck his dick in exchange for weed?” Dennis laughs and Charlie was flabbergasted. 

Dennis had never made fun of Charlie’s sexuality. “Excuse me?” Charlie finally replies. “What? You’re trying to tell me you aren’t in love with him?” Mac’s eyes shoot over to Charlie and he feels his face heat up. “Of course I-I’m not,” Charlie stutters. He was so flustered he could barely even speak.

Is it that obvious? Does everyone know Charlie’s biggest secret? He feels like he’s being suffocated. He’s struggling to breathe and Mac is still looking at him. He needs to calm down before Mac realizes Dennis is telling the truth. 

Charlie’s been in love with Mac since middle school. He always said he was aromantic and asexual so Mac would never catch on. Mac was straight, but sometimes he would say things and Charlie thought he was really gay and didn’t want to tell him. Maybe they didn’t really know everything about each other. 

“What do you want man?” Mac finally breaks the awkward silence. “So, my main dealer just got arrested. I need you to deal at my party tonight,” Dennis doesn’t even ask, he practically demands it. “And why exactly would I want to, especially after what you just said?” Charlie’s shocked he’s standing up to Dennis.

“Because I’ll tell everyone you have the best shit in town and you can charge them triple what you normally do.” Charlie looks over to Mac and knew by his facial expression he wants something else. “Only if you let Charlie come and you and your friend stop giving him shit.” Charlie looks up at Mac with wide eyes. 

“Sure, whatever. See you tonight.” Dennis walks right by Charlie and doesn’t say anything. “Thank you Mac.” Charlie fights the urge to kiss him right there but instead he just smiles at him. “Anything for my best friend,” Mac grins as he throws his arm around Charlie. He frowns at the words best friend but he knew that’s all Mac will ever see him as.

They walk home and Charlie feels anxious about the party. “I don’t think I can go,” he blurts. “Why not? He’s not going to say anything to you. There’s nothing to worry about.” Charlie sighs. “I know, but you’ll be busy all night. What am I supposed to do?” Mac frowns, “I won’t abandon you Charlie.”

He has to stop himself from kissing him. “Okay, I’ll go.” “That’s the spirit!” Mac cheers. They reach Charlie’s house first and agree to meet there at 9:30. Charlie goes inside and tries to calm himself down. He keeps repeating what Dennis said over and over again and it’s making him sick.

He goes up to his room and pulled the shoebox full of glue out from under his bed. He unscrews the cap and takes three big hits before he feels himself relax. It isn’t healthy, and normally he’d go to Mac when he felt anxious, but he couldn’t tell him about this. He’s been able to keep it a secret for this long and he isn’t going to let Dennis ruin that.

9:30 comes quicker than Charlie wants. He meets Mac in his driveway and they walk to the party. “I know you’re still nervous. I promise you’ll never be alone tonight, okay? If you get overwhelmed we can leave,” Mac reassures him. “Okay.” Mac grabs his hand and gives it a quick squeeze before they walk up to the door. 

Dennis welcomes them like they’re best friends. They follow him into the kitchen to get beer and people already start to come up to Mac. Charlie moves out of the way and slowly sips his drink. The crowd finally clears out and they move into the living room. “Need another beer?” Mac asks Charlie. He nods and Mac goes to get them more.

He returns twenty minutes later. “Sorry, there was another big group,” Mac apologizes. “It’s okay.” Charlie is on the verge of a panic attack but doesn’t want Mac to worry. He sips his beer and watches everyone around them have fun. Charlie sees Dee walk downstairs out of the corner of his eye and everyone starts to whisper about her.

She ignores them and grabs a beer. Charlie wishes he had that confidence. “Hey Mac! There’s a group of us out here looking to buy,” Dennis shouts at him from the backyard. “Be right there,” Mac yells back. He chugs the remainder of his beer and stands up. “Are you coming?” Charlie knows he should go, but he also doesn’t want to just sit out there and be awkward.

“I’m okay, I promise. Go ahead.” Mac looks outside and hesitates. “Okay, I’ll just be right outside if you need me.” Charlie nods and watches as Mac leaves. Dee comes and stands next to him. “Heard Dennis is gonna leave you alone,” she says with a hint of jealously.

“Only because of Mac. I could never stand up to him,” Charlie answers. “You’re lucky you have Mac.” Charlie tries to hide his smile, “I really am.” He finishes his beer and goes to get a replacement. “What’s it like having Dennis as a brother? I couldn’t imagine living with him,” Charlie asks. “It’s a living hell. Our parents are gone a lot so he always has people over. I barely leave my room.”

“So what made you join the party tonight?” Dee shrugs, “I’m tired of letting him control what I do. He probably won’t even notice I’m here.” “I wish I could’ve done the same. I hated even coming to school because I knew what would happen when I walked in the doors. I’m glad I’m not alone,” Charlie says. Dee smiles at him. “Maybe I can have Mac tell him to leave you alone too,” he adds.

Dee shakes her head. “Don’t worry about me. If it stops at school that doesn’t mean it’ll stop here. I just need to work on ignoring it and letting it go.” Charlie admires her strength. “I wish we would’ve started talking sooner,” Charlie feels regret when he tells her that. He should’ve talked to her despite what Dennis would say.

“Well, we are now. I’m glad I left my room,” Dee laughs and Charlie joins in. “To new friends,” Charlie says before lifting his beer. “To new friends,” Dee repeats and they hit their beer bottles together. They continue talking and Charlie feels himself relaxing. It feels nice to have a new friend. 

A few hours go by and Charlie and Dee are both pretty drunk. “Oh shit, have you seen Mac?” Charlie asks as he scans the living room and kitchen. “I haven’t, is he outside?” They stand up and go outside but there’s no sign of Mac or Dennis. “Maybe he’s in the bathroom,” Charlie remains hopeful that Mac didn’t leave him.

“Mac went upstairs. Haven’t seen him for a while,” someone tells Charlie. “Do you think he’s alone with Dennis?” Charlie whispers to Dee. He feels that same suffocating feeling from earlier coming back to haunt him. “Who cares if he is? He can have other friends,” Dee reminds him. “But it’s Dennis,” he argues. 

“You can go looking for him. I don’t want to be a part of this.” He watches her walk away and looks over at the stairs. He decides to go find Mac and make sure everything’s fine. He pushes his way through the crowd of people and opens every door in hopes of finding him. He accidentally walks in on a few people in the process.

He reaches the last door and takes a deep breath before opening it. It’s dark and hard to see but he can make out two figures on a bed. “What the fuck? Mac I thought you locked the door!” Dennis’s words cut through Charlie like a knife. “Can we have some privacy?” Dennis asks. His eyes go wide when he sees Charlie in the doorway.

He doesn’t know why he’s not running. He feels like his feet are glued to the floor. He opens his mouth but nothing comes out. “Why is the door still open?” Mac huffs before following Dennis’s gaze. “Oh shit!” He yells before turning the light on. 

Charlie sees hickeys planted on Mac’s neck and chest. Dennis is lying silently as Mac rushes to change. It’s the first time Charlie’s been near Dennis without hearing him talk. “Charlie, please, let me explain,” Mac pleads. He’s hurrying to button and zip his pants and Charlie takes this an opportunity to run as fast as he can. 

He hears Mac call after him but he doesn’t stop running. People yell at him when he bumps into their drinks but he doesn’t stop to apologize. Dee sees him and starts to go after him but stops when she sees Mac. 

Charlie didn’t even know he could run this fast. He stumbles a few times, seeing as he’s drunk, but Mac catches up to him. “Charlie, please,” Mac’s voice breaks as he reaches out to stop Charlie. He grabs him by the jacket but Charlie stays with his back to him. He can’t even stand the sight of his best friend.

This is it Charlie thinks to himself. He never thought he’d lose Mac, especially not because of the person Charlie hates the most. He reaches up to pinch himself, a little too hard, to make sure this isn’t some sort of nightmare. Tears start falling when he realizes he’s living in his own personal hell.

“Charlie, you’re bleeding,” Mac points out. Charlie looks down at his arm and rolls his sleeve down to cover it. “Can you please fucking talk to me?” Mac is still crying but there’s frustration in his voice now. “I can’t Mac. I can’t even talk to my best friend. I can’t fucking believe you,” Charlies voice comes out quietly. 

“Let me explain.” Charlie finally turns around to face him. “Explain what? Explain that you’re fucking my worst enemy? The guy who made my life shit? Explain that you’ve been lying to me for who knows how long? There’s nothing for you to explain. You made your choice, now go get him,” Charlie screams. It’s the middle of the night in a neighborhood but he doesn’t care.

He starts to walk away again but Mac follows. “What have I lied about?” Mac yells at him. “That you’re straight. That you hate Dennis. That you weren’t going to abandon me. That we’d be best friends forever. Do you want me to continue?” Charlie asks. He doesn’t stop walking. 

“Yes, I’m gay, okay? I’ve been confused for so long and tonight I finally realized I like guys. I do hate Dennis, we both just had way too much to drink and we ended up in that situation. I didn’t abandon you, you were with Dee. You didn’t come outside with me. We’re still best friends. I’m so sorry. I didn’t want this to happen.”

Charlie just shakes his and starts laughing. He sounds like he’s going crazy and Mac starts to worry. “Can you just stop and talk to me?” Mac asks. “I don’t know what’s left to talk about. You think I’m being delusional, I get that. Go finish fucking Dennis.” Mac wants to scream until his voice goes out. Why can’t Charlie listen to him?

“I’m sorry you’re jealous. I’m sorry I made a horrible, drunk mistake. I don’t know what else you want from me.” “Jealous?” Charlie pauses to laugh and then continues, “I guess I am. I’ve lied about not being interested in anyone. I fucking love you Mac, okay? Dennis was right. I lied because I didn’t want you finding out. That doesn’t matter now though. It’s over.”

Charlie breaks down when he realizes what he’s just said. But it doesn’t matter, the friendship is already done. What did he have to lose? Mac sits down next to him on the sidewalk and pulls him into a hug. Charlie wants to pull away but he doesn’t. “Why didn’t you just tell me? I thought we were open with each other,” Mac asks gently. 

“I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t know what would happen. I didn’t want to lose my only friend because of my stupid feelings.” Mac rubs his back and sighs. “They aren’t stupid feelings Charlie,” Mac pauses, “I have the same stupid feelings, okay?” Charlie sniffles and pulls away from Mac’s chest to look at him.

“I love you Charlie. I kept those feelings locked away because I always thought we’d just be friends. And I’m okay with that. I was only going to hook up with Dennis because I was drunk and confused. I couldn’t stop thinking about what he said at school. I thought trying to move on would help. I’m so sorry. If you hate me, I get it. I hate myself too.”

“Mac, I don’t hate you. I had no idea you felt the same,” Charlie’s voice is softer now. “I guess in a way I’m thankful for tonight. I don’t think I would’ve ever said that to you,” Charlie adds. Mac smiles at him. “I wouldn’t have either. It feels good to get it off my chest.” Mac confesses.

Charlie’s eyes flicker down to Mac’s lips and he hopes he picks up on the hint. Mac closes the gap between them and Charlie practically melts into a puddle. Mac can taste the cheap beer on Charlie’s lips and Charlie can taste salt from Mac’s tears. They both feel like they’re getting drunker from the kiss. It’s addictive.

Mac breaks the kiss and they struggle to catch their breath. The high they feel is stronger than any high they’ve felt from sharing a joint. Charlie lays his head down in Mac’s lap and Mac plays with his hair. It’s quiet but it’s comfortable. The kiss was everything Mac has dreamt about, but he wishes it would’ve happened differently.

“I love you Charlie. I love you so, so much.” Mac whispers to him. Charlie’s heart skips a beat as he reaches up to give Mac a soft, quick kiss. “I love you too Mac.” Mac smiles and tilts his head back to scream, “I love Charlie Kelly! I don’t care who knows!” Charlie’s face heats up and he playfully smacks Mac’s arm.

“We’ll get in trouble, stop!” Charlie says but they both laugh. Mac keeps repeating himself and Charlie joins in. “I love Mac McDonald!” They see a light turn on across the street and someone yells at them to shut up or they’ll call the cops. Charlie gets up and offers Mac his hand. They run down the street together and laugh like they did when they were kids and all of their problems disappear. 

Everything feels right again.


End file.
